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• ‘Who is she to question Karpal?’
• 'One candidate one seat' not Pakatan's Common Policy, says PAS Veep
• MACC urged to investigate KCB's failed investment in PNG
• Don't pay AES fines, PAS’s Mahfuz tells road users
• Wan Azizah offered four seats In Selangor for GE 13
• Time's up, PAS Youth tells Chua
• PAS fears celebrating the demon that is Halloween
• Pakatan to win 118 seats say Lampong
• Up to RM10b tied up in Genneva gold scheme, authorities say
• Tan Koon Swan to get WCEF lifetime award
• Ex-Sabah BN MPs in Pakatan panel
• Will it get dirty between LDP and Gerakan?
• Soi Lek dismisses ‘losing support’ report
• Planned mandatory mosques law may cause polarisation, says Sabah church group
• RM1.05 bil suit against S'gor govt set for hearing Jan 11
• Petronas Carigali discovers more oil reserves in Bertam, says PM
• No Love Lost Between Indonesia and Malaysia
• Selangor orders halt to Batu Caves condo, sets up independent task force
• BN members still fighting over SAPP seats
• ‘Upko debated ditching BN’
• Karpal offers to help stop condo project
• Rafizi was too loud, Nazri tells Parliament
• MACC report over ‘failed’ Kedah project
• Masing: We’ll wallop our opponents
• 'BN has Pakatan's dirty laundry list'
• Kamalanathan wants apology from Ronnie Liu for alleging link to Batu Caves condo project approval
• I did not get RM3m from Chia but the car…’
• EC to blame for BN’s loss of Chinese support
• Kayveas: We want seats lost by BN parties
• ‘RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’
• ‘Hudud is not the issue…’
• BN’s targets PAS, PKR seats in S’gor
• Asia language plan 'central' to Australian reforms: PM
• Liow: Change will lead to instability
• Khaled: Do not sell given land
• Despite Pakatan push, BN expects to win more than 140 seats
• Lembah Pantai tough for BN due to split Malay vote, Nong Chik says
• Merger of 5 PKNS assets approved by Federal Treasury, says Khalid
• Soi Lek: Jamil needs to do homework on hudud first
• Soi Lek disagrees with Umno ally over hudud
• Karpal gets flak over seat call
• Pros and cons in early naming of election candidates
• Former Ops Lalang detainees happy that ISA has been repealed
• Anwar: Khalid will defend his parliamentary seat
• Is ex-Sabah DCM Tham making comeback?
• Liu shows proof it was all BN’s work
• S'gor MB challenged to explain proposed sale of PKNS assets
• Local councils a law unto themselves
• DAP’s ‘gesture of goodwill’ to SAPP
• MACC report against Palani’s aide

‘Who is she to question Karpal?’ Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:46 PM PDT The cracks in DAP continue to widen ahead of the polls, with M Manoharan launching a broadside against Teresa Kok for her 'outburst' against Karpal. Athi Shankar, FMT "Who is she to question Karpal Singh?" thundered a DAP leader who took Selangor exco Teresa Kok to task for being rude. Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M Manoharan demanded that the DAP national organising secretary apologise to the veteran politician, who is also the party's national chairman. He said Kok's "media outburst" with regard to Karpal's statement on the "one man – one seat" issue was uncalled for. Being the party's Selangor chief and national organising secretary, he said Kok should know that Karpal as the DAP supremo had the right to announce the party's public policies. He said Kok had no right to question Karpal's media statements on the "one man – one seat" issue, which had become a major political topic among party leaders and members at all levels. He said Kok should always remember that Karpal was among the senior leaders responsible for the party's political strength and growth over the years. "She should retract her criticisms immediately and apologise to Karpal," Manoharan told FMT. Last Friday, Karpal called on the party's nine double-hat wearers, who are both a parliamentarian and an assemblyman, to declare publicly that they would opt for only one seat in the next general election. In other words, Karpal wanted them to show support to the proposed "one man – one seat" electoral formula. Karpal, who first proposed the formula early last year, argued that the party now had enough capable and dynamic young grassroots leaders as candidates, unlike in previous elections. But Kok, a double-seat holder herself, chided Karpal for highlighting "an old story" in the media. The other DAP elected representatives who are both MPs and assemblymen are Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman), Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy (Batu Kawan MP and Prai assemblyman) and the state senior exco and party chief Chow Kon Yeow (Tanjung MP and Padang Kota assemblyman), all in Penang; Beruas MP and Sitiawan assemblyman Ngeh Koo Ham, Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Ming, both Perak; and Rasah MP and Lobak assemblyman Anthony Loke Siew Fook (Negeri Sembilan). In Sarawak, state DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng is the Sibu MP and Bukit Assek assemblyman while state party secretary Chong Chieng Jen is the Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman. 'She was neither here nor there' Manoharan, who supported the "one man – one seat" proposal, said dual seat holders should put public and party interests above their own interests by accepting Karpal's formula. He said double-hat wearers should not draw multiple perks while dishing out poor performance as elected representatives at the expense of other single seat representatives and taxpayers. At a glance, double-seat holders earn nearly RM40,000 per month. In Selangor, an assemblyman's pay is about RM11,700, inclusive of allowances, while that of an executive councillor is about RM25,000 (inclusive of state assembly pay). A MP earns about RM15,000 a month. Manoharan recalled that during the recent July parliamentary sitting, which coincided with the Selangor state assembly session, Kok was unable to perform her duties efficiently as a senior exco, state representative and parliamentarian. "She was neither here nor there. She was missing most of the assembly sittings," he claimed. Manoharan said he was now fighting a court case against the demolishment of a Hindu temple – Seafield Maha Mariamman Kovil – which comes under Kok's Kinrara constituency. "The temple management told me that it had been difficult to get even an appointment to meet Kok and resolve the demolishment issue amicably," he said. He said Kok was not able to divide and devote her time for her constituents partly because she was a MP and an assemblywoman in two different territories. READ MORE HERE

'One candidate one seat' not Pakatan's Common Policy, says PAS Veep Posted: 30 Oct 2012 08:39 PM PDT (Bernama) -- PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub today stated that the 'one candidate one seat' proposal by DAP national chairman Karpal Singh was not a common policy of the opposition group. He said it might only apply to DAP. "We (PAS) have no problem here. Moreover, we have for a long time practised the 'one candidate one seat' policy except for certain cases like our party president (Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang) who holds two seats (Marang parliamentary seat and Rhu Rendang state seat)," he said when contacted Wednesday. The opposition group or Pakatan Rakyat consists of PAS, DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). Salahuddin said PAS had never prevented any party member from contesting a state seat as well as a parliamentary seat if he or she was asked to do so by the party's top leadership. "Karpal had made the 'one candidate one seat' proposal probably because DAP now has many eligible candidates to be fielded in the upcoming general election. Anyway, this is DAP's internal matter," he said. Last Friday, Karpal was quoted as saying said DAP elected representatives now holding two seats should choose to contest only one in the coming elections, so that they would have more time to serve their constituents. However, some party leaders objected to the proposal.

MACC urged to investigate KCB's failed investment in PNG Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:53 PM PDT (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been urged to investigate the possible power abuse and misappropriation of fund by the Kedah government-owned company Kedah Corporation Berhad (KCB) in its logging and plantation project in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Bandar Baharu District Youth Council chairman Helmi Abdul Khan said the Auditor-General Report 2011 on the project had raised many suspicions such as goodwill payment to vendors in PNG to open new land and lobbying a minister for the project. He also urged Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak not to point fingers on the issue, adding that as the chief executive of the state, he should handle the case professionally. "As a Mentri Besar, it doesn't make sense that he did not know about the multi-million ringgit investment. The people in Kedah demand to know details of the project," he told reporters after lodging a police report at the Bandar Baharu district police headquarters here, Tuesday evening. Several leaders from the Barisan Nasional component parties had also lodged similar police reports yesterday to urge MACC to investigate the case. Meanwhile, the Kedah People Progressive Party PPP) youth secretary M. Sethupati hoped that MACC would urgently investigate the case as it had incurred huge losses since the project was signed in Oct 12, 2008. The Auditor-General Report 2011 had noted that KCB had to bear RM13.49 million in losses after the RM31.21million project in PNG failed.

Don't pay AES fines, PAS’s Mahfuz tells road users Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:32 PM PDT Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider A PAS lawmaker today urged road users not to pay off traffic summonses issued under the federal government's controversial Automated Enforcement System (AES), saying that they should claim trial to the offences instead. "Now I want to ask, if the government refuses to delay the implementation of the AES and withdraw all summonses issued, everyone who receives the AES summonses don't need to pay the RM300 compound, instead follow this instruction to go to court..." PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar said at a press conference today. He said that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was prepared to provide lawyers to represent those who chose to contest the summonses in court. Yesterday, PR said it would suspend approval for the AES's implementation in the four states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan, to allow for further discussion and public feedback. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng yesterday said that PR's move would mean that 331 out of the planned 831 cameras under the nationwide AES scheme will not be installed. The AES cameras, which detects speeding motorists and those who beat traffic lights, is in its pilot phase, with 14 installed in Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya. Today, Umno MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin also crossed the political divide today and backed the opposition PR pact in calling for Putrajaya to suspend enforcing the controversial traffic system, saying it could be used as electoral fodder against the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN). Several influential non-government organisations including the umbrella body representing civil servants, CUEPACS, have also opposed the enforcement by saying the system is not currently suitable. They also want the government to review the locations where the AES would operate. However, Bung Mokhtar was reported to have said that the system was necessary to "discipline" road users for the good of all. Lawmakers previously argued that the AES would only benefit the two companies running the system ― Beta Tegap and ATES ― as the firms will allegedly stand to earn RM16 from each summons issued by the AES.

Wan Azizah offered four seats In Selangor for GE 13 Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:23 PM PDT (Malaysian Digest) - Selangor PKR is ready to offer as many as four state seats to be contested by PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail for the upcoming 13th general election. State information chief Shuhaimi Shafiei said the four seats offered are the 'safest', based on the previous election results. The seats offered are Seri Muda, Kota Anggerik, Seri Setia and Sementa. "We are ready to offer our suggestions and views to the PKR central leadership if it is true that Dr Wan Azizah intends compete in Selangor. We just want her to win in the seats. "For now, we haven't received any direct instructions from the party leadership. We believe that whatever was announced by Dr Wan Azizah is a party strategy," he was reported as saying in Sinar Harian today. However, Shuhaimi stressed that the choice of seats ultimately lies with the central leadership. "Our offer of the seats is based on the track record. Even I, being the current Seri Muda assemblyman, am willing to make way if the president wishes to contest in the state. "What's important is that all members and party machinery will give 100 per cent to ensure a win for the party and the president," he said. Yesterday, the daily had reported that Dr Wan Azizah is still undecided on whether to contest in Selangor or Penang, both of which are Opposition-controlled states. Dr Wan Azizah, who is wife of Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, said the options were her own personal choices. Barisan Nasional, meanwhile, are unperturbed over the possibility that the PKR president could contest in Selangor. State Umno information chief Abdul Shukor Idrus said the public's growing awareness of BN's transformation plans have led the Opposition to feel insecure. "Based on the numerous transformation plans carried out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the PKR leadership is now playing close attention to Selangor. "We cannot rule out the possibility that even Anwar and other PKR leaders will contest here," he said. Abdul Shukor declared that BN are 100 per cent ready to recapture the state they lost in 2008. "We will make sure that Pakatan Rakyat will have to pay close attention to Selangor and focus less on other states."

Time's up, PAS Youth tells Chua Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:08 PM PDT (Harakah) - Announcing the expiry of its one-week deadline for MCA president Chua Soi Lek to apologise over his anti-PAS remarks bordering on Islamophobia, PAS Youth said today it was going ahead with the plan to organise a rally to deliver a memorandum to the Agong. On October 24, some 200 people comprising representatives of PAS's Ulama and Youth wings, PKR Youth and Muslim NGOs gathered at the MCA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to voice out against the party's continued attacks on Islamic values. A memorandum was also sent to the party, giving its president seven days to apologise to Muslims over a spate of statements denigrating the Islamic value-system. "We feel the memorandum was simply 'trashed' him and the MCA leadership," said PAS Youth secretary Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil. Khairul added that the wing will go ahead with its plan for a mammoth rally at the National Palace in Jalan Duta to hand over a memorandum to the Agong in his capacity as head of the federal religion. "It is time that the Yang Di Pertuan Agong be informed of MCA's continous insults on Islam," he said. Chua and top MCA leaders have been on a warpath with PAS by launching an attack on Islamic criminal law proposed by PAS in Kelantan, in what is seen as the Chinese-only party's bid to regain lost support among Malaysian Chinese. The party hoped that raising the spectre of an Islamic state in the event of Pakatan Rakyat's victory at the coming polls would prevent them from voting for the coalition. Chua had also earned condemnations for defending a statement by his party's women wing that Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat encouraged rape of non-Muslim women, citing an advice by the Kelantan Menteri Besar in 2008 that Muslim women abide by the Islamic dress code and not dress provocatively, as part of measures to fight rape.

PAS fears celebrating the demon that is Halloween Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:05 PM PDT (The Star) - PAS, which has consistently frowned on concerts, has now raised the red flag on Halloween parties where teenagers are dressed up in ghoulish costumes. Johor PAS Commissioner Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed wants parents to keep an eye on their children participating in Halloween parties. "We hope the costumes are proper. If there are no proper checks by the parents or the authorities, this can lead to moral decay. "Such parties can get wild where alcohol would eventually be consumed," he said, adding that guidelines should be drawn up. He said PAS was not against Western culture but insisted that "guidelines were necessary when it involves other cultures, especially from the West or the East from Japan and Korea, being brought into Malaysia". Dr Mahfodz said there must be some form of moderation in accepting such cultures, including the popular Gangnam dance style by PSY but the PAS leader did not elaborate. Other party leaders said they were disturbed by the media coverage given to such parties, which one PAS leader likened to "worshipping the Satan". They refused to accept the arguments that it was merely for entertainment, adding that the authorities should not allow such parties to flourish. MCA central committee member Datuk Ti Lian Ker said he was astonished by the latest stand taken by the party leaders. "They have consistently protested against concerts, insisted on non-Muslim models not wearing shorts and sleeveless blouses on billboards but to frown against Halloween parties involving mostly children is outrageous. "They have insisted on gender segregation in a cinema in Selangor where they do not even have a majority but PAS seems powerful enough to have its way even at district council level," he said. Ti said there were non-Muslim voters who did not believe that the push by PAS would not affect them, but he reminded them that the party had successfully stopped a cinema planned by a non-Muslim businessman in Bangi. He said he was not surprised that PAS had called for "caution and moderation" on the Psy's hit dance style, presumably because "the dance movements are unacceptable to PAS".

Pakatan to win 118 seats say Lampong Posted: 30 Oct 2012 04:00 PM PDT (Harakah) - Yahya Lampong , a former deputy Transport minister, said he was convinced that Barisan Nasional would lose power at the coming 13th general election. Yahya predicted that Pakatan Rakyat would win 118 of the total 222 parliamentary seats, while BN could be left with 104 seats. Yahya, now a PKR member, said he arrived at such a conclusion based on what he called the "82+20+16" formula, 82 being the number of seats won by PR in 2008, 20 being BN's parliamentary seats with non-Malay majorities while 16 being seats from Sabah. Yahya said he was highly optimistic that Sabahans would reject BN and that more than half of parliamentary seats in the state would fall to PR. "At least 16 out of 25 parliamentary seats will be won by PR," he said. Of of these, 13 are seats with majorities of Kadazan, Dusun, Murut and Chinese voters. The remaining three are 'mixed seats' namely Beaufort, Papar and Kota Belud. In Papar and Kota Belud, Yahya pointed out that Chinese voters comprised 40 percent of total voters. As such, he said a 15 percent swing of Muslim votes could work in PR's favour. As for Beaufort, Yahya saw no obstacle for incumbent Lajim Ukin to retain his seat. Lajim recently quit BN and declared himself a PR-friendly independent member of parliament. "PR will only need 112 seats to form the Federal government. So, PR will be able to form the government with the support of the peoples from Peninsular and Sabah. "Any parliamentary seats from Sarawak will be a bonus," he added. Earlier this month, Yahya told Harakahdaily that the three component parties that make up PR could not live without each other, a recipe he said would ensure the coalition's life.

Up to RM10b tied up in Genneva gold scheme, authorities say Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:54 PM PDT Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider Putrajaya believes investors may have pumped up to RM10 billion into the gold trading scheme under Genneva Malaysia, which was recently raided by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said today. "The information that I have is that there [are] 35,000 investors that can be detected, but the total investment can reach RM10 billion," the deputy finance minister told Parliament during Question Time today. Awang Adek previously told Parliament that Genneva Malaysia's liabilities exceeded its assets, indicating and that the company was unable to pay returns to its investors. Genneva's bank accounts and other assets have been frozen by BNM since October 1, following suspicion that the company allegedly breached several banking and financial laws such as illegal deposit-taking, money laundering, tax evasion and appointing agents without licence, after several people lodged complaints with the police. Genneva Malaysia has some 60,000 customers and a monthly turnover of RM2 billion, according to its traders interviewed by The Malaysian Insider last week, but the company's website states 50,000 customers and a turnover of RM3 billion. Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz has also said the central bank is fast-tracking investigations into the controversial gold trading company so that its customers will not be kept waiting for too long. Genneva, Pageantry Gold Bhd, Caesar Gold Sdn Bhd, Worldwide Far East Bhd and Bestino Group Bhd are among 25 individuals and companies offering unlicensed activities that were placed on an investor alert list by the central bank last year, double the number from 2010 and the highest on record since 2003. READ MORE HERE

Tan Koon Swan to get WCEF lifetime award Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:45 PM PDT Zuraini AR, The Malaysian Insider Former MCA president Tan Koon Swan will be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Fourth World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF) next month. Tan will be among eight recipients set to accept the award at the event that will be held in Melbourne, Australia starting November 12. Announcing this today, current MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek also congratulated Tan in a press conference. "It's time for what we call redemption. He has gone through a difficult period and I think he deserves (the award)," Chua said. In 1985, the high-flying Tan fell from grace when he was jailed two years and fined S$1 million (RM2.5 million at current rates) after being charged on 15 counts that included share manipulation and criminal breach of trust (CBT) in what became known as the Pan-El scandal. He quit MCA soon after. But he recently found some solace when Glenn Knight, the former Singapore prosecutor that won the conviction against the ex-politician, wrote that Tan should not have been found guilty. Knight wrote in his book: "It was extremely painful for me to suddenly discover that the Singapore courts had got it wrong." Knight's views have, however, been disputed by Singapore's Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC), which pointed out errors in his book, "The Prosecutor". Among others, it noted that there were 14 other charges that were not pursued in the 1986 case against Tan because he had pleaded guilty to the charge of criminal breach of trust through violation of Section 157(1).

Ex-Sabah BN MPs in Pakatan panel Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:30 PM PDT According to a former Upko senator, current party leaders were 'trapped' by PM Najib Tun Razak's announcement of an RCI which is unlikely to convene before the polls.  Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Sabah MPs Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin – the respective leaders of new opposition groupings Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) and Pakatan Pertubuhan Angkatan Sabah (PPS) – are now members of the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) national council. APS is led by Tuaran MP and former-deputy president of United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) Bumburing while PPS is headed by Beaufort MP Lajim who is a former Umno supreme council member. Both the MPs had on July 29 quit all posts that came with their positions as BN coalition members and pledged support to former prime deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim who now leads Pakatan. However, both Bumburing and Lajim have yet to join any of the opposition coalition component parties. Bumburing's former boss in Upko, Bernard Dompok, was quick to paint the two former senior BN leaders 'partyless' status as indecisive, saying that they displayed the lack of confidence in Pakatan's political struggle. Dompok, the Plantations Industries and Commodities Minister, who is fighting his own battle to remain relevant in the ruling coalition, also questioned the need for Bumburing and Lajim to establish APS and PPS as their political platforms. Dompok likened the Anwar-led opposition "as a duck in the water where on the surface the bird looked calm but underwater it was paddling hard." However, APS deputy president Maijol Mahap, an Upko vice-president until he resigned in August this year to team up with Bumburing, has hit back at Dompok. "It is not for anyone to say whether or not Bumburing has any confidence in any of the political parties that make up Pakatan Rakyat. (Joining a political party) is not his priority," said the former senator who lost his position after he quit the BN. Upko has already given the senator post to its deputy secretary-general Lucas Umbol whose nomination was unanimously passed by the Sabah Legislative Assembly last week. 'Pakatan made up of equal partners' Mahap disclosed that after going through a series of discussions with several Pakatan party leaders including Anwar, it was agreed that Bumburing and Lajim through APS and PPS, assist the opposition coalition in their quest to topple the BN government and wrest control of Putrajaya. "In relation to this understanding, leaders from APS and PPS have been appointed as members of Pakatan National Council," he said. "Unlike BN where Umno is the dominant force and all the other parties have to follow the dictates of Umno, Pakata) is made of equal partners where no single party dominates the other members of the coalition," he said. The former senator also backed Bumburing's stunning revelation that Upko leaders had discussed pulling the party out of the BN and joining Pakatan. READ MORE HERE

Will it get dirty between LDP and Gerakan? Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:21 PM PDT Sabah-based LDP will not make any compromises on the Karamunting seat, held by Peter Pang, who won it in 2008 whilst in LDP. Queville To, FMT KEPAYAN: Sabah Barisan Nasional minnows, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), wants back a seat it lost to Gerakan after its assembly representative defected to the fellow ruling coalition member. Party president VK Liew said this week that there could be no compromise over the Karamunting state seat that was taken away by its former elected representative Peter Pang En Yin, after the latter left LDP in 2010 and joined Gerakan last year. Liew, a deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said the party's stand over the issue was not negotiable as the seat had always belonged to LDP since 1999. "Of course we are determined to take it back. How can a member of a political party who left the party as YB after having won it on the party ticket take the seat away. It is against the principle of Barisan Nasional. "If that can happen to any other party in Barisan Nasional it would break up the Barisan Nasional concept and that would not be good and we would not allow that to happen," he told the media when approached at the joint Annual General Meeting of its Kepayan and Moyog divisions at its headquarters here. The status of the peninsula-headquartered Gerakan in the state government and the prickly relations it has with the Sabah-based LDP has been compounded by the awkward issue of the Karamunting state seat that it has taken over by default. Having seen its power and influence in Chief Minister Musa Aman's state government decline ever since a rift between the party's former leader, Chong Kah Kiat and Musa, LDP has been struggling to recover its leverage in the state. The distribution of seats in the state among the BN coalition partners for the impending 13th general election will determine its future standing in the state. Since the spectacular falling out between Chong and Musa over a plan to construct a towering 'Goddess of the Sea' statue in Kudat, LDP has struggled to regain its footing within the state government. But while Chong is still spoken of admiringly for his skilful and polished administration of the state when he was chief minister under the BN's rotation' of leadership among the communities, Musa has been pilloried by the opposition as inept and corrupt. LDP may suffer Political pundits in the state believe the fallout between the two could still have an impact in the coming elections and observed that during Prime Minister Najib's recent visit to Kudat, Chong's home town, the latter was not seen. Meanwhile, asked to comment on his secretary-general Teo Chee Kang's call last Sunday for the creation of more Chinese constituencies in Sabah, Liew who is also the MP for Sandakan said this would not be necessary. READ MORE HERE

Soi Lek dismisses ‘losing support’ report Posted: 30 Oct 2012 03:16 PM PDT The MCA boss responds to a report on how a substantial number of people had left a party dinner early.  Teoh El Sen, FMT Dr Chua Soi Lek has dismissed speculations of dwindling support from the Chinese community following a news report of an "exodus" at a recent MCA dinner. The MCA president pointed out that there were thousands who willingly attended the Saturday event despite bad weather and many had stayed on. "Certain media was just playing it up. The event started late and the fact that so many came and paid for tickets means they are supporting us. "How do you explain the rest of the crowd that stayed on despite the rain?" he said during a press conference here. "The chairs, tables, and even plates were wet because of the rain," he added. China Press yesterday reported that some 20% of the 15,000 people at the MCA dinner called "Stability above chaos" in Johor left earlier. Organisers had reportedly reasoned that the early departure of the attendees on that day was to beat traffic jams. Meanwhile, Chua also responded to various issues concerning Pakatan Rakyat ranging from DAP chairman Karpal Singh's "one man, one seat" remark to PAS's apparent disapproval of the Halloween celebrations. READ MORE HERE

Planned mandatory mosques law may cause polarisation, says Sabah church group Posted: 30 Oct 2012 12:14 PM PDT The Putra Mosque is seen shrouded with smog in Putrajaya June 12, 2009. — Reuters pic (The Malaysian Insider) ― An influential Sabah Christian group has objected to a proposed state law that will make it compulsory for mosques to be built in new housing areas, saying such a move may drive a bigger wedge between Muslims and non-Muslims in the Borneo state.   The National Fellowship (NECF) Commission on Sabah Affairs (COSA) said that the proposal for such a blanket policy was misguided as there has never been any problem in gaining approval for the building of mosques and Muslim prayer halls in the state, unlike for non-Muslim places of worship that it says have been subjected to unnecessary delays in obtaining approval for their building plans and in land acquisition applications. NECF-COSA chairman Reverend Datuk Jerry Dusing said the current building by-laws are already working and saw no necessity for a change in the status quo "Why put (the building of mosques as) mandatory, as if Malaysia is only (made up of practitioners of) one kind of religion?" he told The Malaysian Insider after the NECF-COSA issued a media statement to highlight the issue. Sabah Assistant Finance Minister Datuk Tawfiq Abu Bakar Titingan had proposed that local authorities enforce the requirement of providing a mosque site for each low- and medium-cost housing project in Sabah to ensure Muslims residents could carry out their religious obligations with ease, state news agency Bernama had reported on September 21. Dusing, who is also president of the Sabah branch of Sidang Injil Borneo (SIB), said church leaders had not been consulted prior to the proposal and only recently found out about it from reading newspaper reports. He said that previously, the state government would seek the views of the different religious groups before making a decision on such a "sensitive matter". He pointed to the 2007 controversy over the construction of a 108-foot high statue of Mazu ― as Taoists in Sabah call the patron deity protecting seafarers ― in mainly Muslim Kudat, a coastal town in the northern tip of Sabah He claimed the Sabah chief minister had discussed the matter with the different religious group leaders before deciding to cancel its approval first granted to the project in 2006. Dusing also said the state Barisan Nasional (BN) government had consulted church leaders when Muslims wanted to build a mosque in Penampang, which had met with objections as the western Sabah town was predominantly Christian. "Rather than making it mandatory, wouldn't it be better to have a discussion first to see the views of all religious groups and go on an approval process? Let those in the local authority decide," he said, adding that NECF-COSA was also concerned that non-Muslim house buyers may eventually end up having to shoulder the added cost to build the mosques passed on to them by developers. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/planned-mandatory-mosques-law-may-cause-polarisation-says-sabah-church-group/

RM1.05 bil suit against S'gor govt set for hearing Jan 11 Posted: 29 Oct 2012 05:44 PM PDT (Bernama) - The High Court here has set Jan 11 for the hearing of Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor's (Syabas) RM1.05 billion compensation suit against the Selangor government over a water tariff dispute. Initially, Justice Datuk Mary Lim was scheduled to hear the matter today following the Court of Appeal's decision on Oct 8, which allowed the state government's application to set aside the judge's decision in allowing the plaintiff to amend its statement of claim. However, counsel Datuk Harpal Singh Grewal who acted for Syabas, told the court that although the parties were ready to go on with the trial, the plaintiff (Syabas) had already obtained leave to appeal from the Federal Court on Oct 23 to appeal against the Court of Appeal's decision. Harpal also informed the court that the Apex Court had indicated the matter would be heard soon since it was a case of public interest. Justice Lim set Dec 17 for case management of the case for the parties to inform the court on the outcome of the plaintiff's appeal at the Federal Court. The plaintiff in its initial statement of claim had stated that the compensation should be based on RM1.89 per cubic metre, but later sought the High Court's permission to amend the quantum, to either RM1.82 or RM1.80 per cubic metre as stated in the water concession agreement. In the suit filed on Nov 10 last year, Syabas is seeking the Selangor government to pay RM1.05 billion in water tariff adjustment. Syabas claimed that based on the concession agreement, dated Dec 15, 2004, signed by the Malaysian government, the Selangor government and the company, it was given a 30-year concession to buy treated water from water treatment operators and to supply the treated water to the distribution areas in accordance with the terms spelt out in the agreement. Syabas said that through a letter dated March 31, 2008, it sent a document to the Selangor government to support its application to increase the gazetted tariff of RM1.39 per cubic metre to a new agreed tariff of RM1.89 per cubic metre for the third operations period from Jan 1, 2009 to Dec 31, 2011. It claimed that the defendant had failed to inform the company whether it had agreed to increase the gazetted tariff to the agreed tariff. Syabas also claimed that it had sent several letters to the defendant to claim compensation in line with the concession agreement but failed to get any satisfactory reply from the defendant. In the affidavit-in-reply, the Selangor government, through the State Secretary at that time, Datuk Ramli Mahmud, said the suit by Syabas was an abuse of court process, arguing that the water industry was undergoing restructuring as required under the Water Services Industry Act 2006 and the National Water Services Commission Act. At today's proceedings, the Selangor government was represented by Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Fahda Nur Ahmad Kamar.

Petronas Carigali discovers more oil reserves in Bertam, says PM Posted: 29 Oct 2012 05:08 PM PDT (Bernama) - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today announced that Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd and Lundin Oil have jointly discovered additional oil reserves, under a production-sharing contract (PSC), at Block PM 307 of the Bertam oilfield. He said the oil field, located 160 kilometres offshore Peninsula Malaysia, is opposite the state of Pahang at the depth of 76 metres. PM 307 PSC is operated by Lundin Malaysia which holds a 75 per cent interest and Petronas holds the remaining equity. "This is very significant because we never discovered oil in commercial quantity at Penyu Basin and this is a major breakthrough. "Based on the findings of commercial and technical feasibility studies, crude oil production will begin at the oil field in the third quarter of 2014 with a projected output of between 17,500 and 20,000 barrels per day," Najib (picture) told reporters after chairing the Biotechnology Implementation Council meeting here today. The prime minister said with the additional discovery, the Bertam oilfield is estimated to have oil reserves of 64 million barrels. Najib, who also is Finance Minister, said Pahang was expected to receive a special payment of RM100 million a year, once production begins in the third quarter of 2014. "This discovery proved there is oil and gas at the Southern region of the Malay Basin towards the Penyu Basin. "The oilfield is located on the continent shelf which is under the jurisdiction of the Federal government. "This is our policy to distribute oil wealth with five per cent cash payment to Pahang," he added. Meanwhile, Ramlan A Malek, Vice-President, Petronas Nasional Bhd, Exploration & Production Business, Petroleum Management said the commercial and technical feasibility studies were expected to be completed in the second quarter of next year. He also said this was the first oil discovery in the Pahang state.

No Love Lost Between Indonesia and Malaysia Posted: 29 Oct 2012 05:01 PM PDT (The Jakarta Globe) - Most analysts trace the deterioration in ties back to the emergence of Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad in 1981 and subsequently to the 1997-1998 financial crisis which unleashed a flood of illegal Indonesian migrant workers into Malaysia.   Petrol stations in Indonesia owned by Shell, Petronas and Total are having a hard time because they do not have access to the subsidized premium fuel sold at stations supplied by the country's state-run Pertamina Oil Company. If the playing field was not uneven enough, Petronas has also had to deal with negative consumer sentiment: Many Indonesian motorists cannot bring themselves to patronize something that is distinctively Malaysian. Petronas will not comment, but in further evidence of the disturbing state of people-to-people relations between Indonesians and Malaysians, customer resistance is one key reason why Petronas has been forced to close many of its 18 stations in recent weeks. Most analysts trace the deterioration in ties back to the emergence of Prime Minister Mahathir Muhammad in 1981 and subsequently to the 1997-1998 financial crisis which unleashed a flood of illegal Indonesian migrant workers into Malaysia. Along the way, the two countries have engaged in bitter disputes over the Sipidan and Ligitan islands in the Celebes Sea - which the World Court awarded to Malaysia in 2002 — and over the Ambalat oil-exploration block off Borneo's east coast, which remains unresolved. Founding Indonesian president Sukarno's armed opposition to Britain's creation of the Malaysian federation in the early 1960s — a period called Confrontation — left surprisingly few scars because it had little public support, especially from the generals who sought to make peace behind his back. Looking back now, veteran academic Jusuf Wanandi says the years following Confrontation were, in fact, the high point of the relationship, helped by the birth in August 1967 of Asean. Indonesian leaders also had strong working ties with Malaysia's second and third prime ministers — Tun Abdul Razak, an ethnic Bugis from Sulawesi, and Tun Hussein Onn, whose father founded the United Malays National Organization. But that generation was old school. The more mercurial Tun Mahathir changed the mood, setting an independent course which brought him into personal conflict with president Suharto. To rub salt into the wound, Malaysia escaped from the 1997-1998 crisis relatively unscathed — in part thanks to controversial currency controls instituted by Mahathir — while Indonesia saw a meltdown. In Indonesia, hundreds of thousands of job seekers surged into Malaysia, setting the stage for a serious and wholly avoidable decline in the way the two countries' peoples looked at each other. The fault lies on both sides. The Indonesian authorities did not prepare their uneducated women — many of them from the Java hinterland — to operate even the simplest of home appliances or try to secure a labor treaty with Malaysia to protect them. The Malaysian government was complicit in the resulting exploitation, not only making little effort to prevent their abuse, but also perpetuating the belief that most of the Indonesian male workers were criminals and should be treated as such. That attitude seems to prevail today. When four alleged thieves were shot dead recently under still-unclear circumstances, it brought the number of Indonesian migrant workers killed by Malaysian police in the past five years to more than 150. Given their similarity in cultural backgrounds, the back-biting that goes on between the two neighbors sometimes beggars belief, much of it driven by perceived slights and, on Indonesia's part, by a hostile overly nationalistic media. Read more at: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/no-love-lost-between-indonesia-and-malaysia/553208

Selangor orders halt to Batu Caves condo, sets up independent task force Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:58 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Selangor has ordered a temporary halt to the construction of the 29-storey condominium near Batu Caves pending the findings of an independent state-level task force to be set up tomorrow, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said today. He, however, offered the state's assurance that the matter would be resolved as soon as possible, admitting that the stop-work order would cost the developers financial losses. "We must act very fast... because we don't want to create an unfair business decision. Delays lose money but we must also make sure that it must comply with all the regulations … that is what we are trying to do," Khalid (picture) told a press conference in Parliament. The Bandar Tun Razak MP said members of the proposed independent task force will be selected during the Selangor state executive council meeting tomorrow. He said the task force would comprise members without any interest in the issue and will include professionals from the relevant industries such as town planners, lawyers and former judges. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/selangor-orders-halt-to-batu-caves-condo-sets-up-independent-task-force

BN members still fighting over SAPP seats Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:48 PM PDT The Sepanggar parliamentary seat which BN component parties are tussling over will be an easy win as there are 3,000 registered postal voters.  Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Barisan Nasional coalition members are scrambling to claim constituencies won by their former colleague Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) in the last general election. Leaders of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), United Pasok Mompogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and BN's backbone Umno have all thrown their hats in the ring for their members to contest the MP seats of Sepanggar, Tawau and the state seats of Likas and Luyang. SAPP, now in the opposition holds the two parliamentary seats through party deputy president Eric Majimbun (Sepanggar) and vice president Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) while Liew Teck Chan and Melanie Chia are the state assembly representatives for Likas and Luyang. All four had won the seats on BN ticket but the party led by former chief minister Yong Teck Lee quit the coalition on Sept 7, 2008. PBS president Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan has announced that his party has applied to BN chairman, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, to register the mixed constituency of Sepanggar seat under PBS. Pairin is basing the party's claim ahead of other BN coalition aspirants on the shaky premise that PBS enjoys huge support in the constituency. SAPP proved their contention a fallacy in the Nov 9, 1999 election. The constituency was then known as Gaya. Yong defeated PBS candidate Johnny Goh Chin Lok, now the Inanam assemblyman, 15,315 votes to 11,198 votes. Third candidate Hamzah Abdullah of PAS only managed 729 votes. However, PBS is this time also in a skirmish with Upko head Bernard Dompok, Pairin's archival for the Kadazandusun political crown. Dompok who is the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister announced the party's claim to the Sepanggar also on the basis of enjoying huge support in the constituency. The last time Upko's strength was tested was in the March, 1999 election where its candidate Christine Van Houten, a former civil servant, was defeated in the state constituency of Inanam. The constituency together with Karambunai is within the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency. BN minnows, PBRS, headed by Joseph Kurup and LDP whose president Liew Vui Kiong is Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department have also established bases in Sepanggar but unlike PBS, Upko and Umno, they are not active in the area. Easier seat for BN Umno, the main party in the the Sabah BN coalition, can be said to have the upper hand in any tussle among coalition members to contest Sepanggar. Its divisional head Jumat Idris, is seen as a close aide of Chief Minister Musa Aman, the Sabah BN chief. Idris is also the BN chairman for the constituency. Incumbent Majimbun is rumoured to be all set to move into state politics by contesting in his home constituency of Inanam. Majimbun, who is SAPP deputy president, however also disclosed that his party would nevertheless field a candidate to defend Sepanggar. READ MORE HERE

‘Upko debated ditching BN’ Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:37 PM PDT Former Upko deputy president Wilfred Bumburing revealed details of secret meetings held with party president Bernard Dompok over Upko's status in BN. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Senior leaders of United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) met early this year to discuss pulling out from Barisan Nasional, a former top party leader said today. Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing, the party's former deputy president who resigned recently, disclosed that party leaders discussed the possibility of consenting to the `silent' wishes of the party's grassroots members for Upko to leave the ruling coalition government. Bumburing, who resigned from Upko and as BN head for Tuaran on July 29 and now heads the opposition-friendly Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), said he had met with Upko president Bernard Dompok at least eight times to discuss the matter. The Tuaran MP revealed the secret meetings to clear up allegations by certain BN leaders especially those from Upko that he quit the party because he was not going to be fielded to defend his seat in the coming general elections was not true. "There is no truth in these allegations. In fact prior to July 29, I and a few other Upko leaders officially declared our decision to leave BN," he said. He said Dompok, a Minister in Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's federal cabinet, was well aware of the widespread dissatisfaction in the party over its position as a prop for the Umno-led coalition government. "On at least on three of the (eight) occasions, Bernard (Dompok) insisted I stay put in Upko and personally asked me to stand and defend the Tuaran parliamentary seat for BN," Bumburing said in a statement posted in APS's facebook page. "However, by then I have already made the decision to leave Upko and BN," he pointed out, adding that another allegation making the rounds that he quit because he lost the divisional chairman post in the election of Upko Tuaran divisional committee members was also BN slander. He disclosed that prior to the divisional meeting in 2011, he was told by the nomination committee that he had won the chairman's post uncontested but he rejected the nomination and asked the committee to conduct another nomination exercise. He said he also refused to be nominated as BN candidate for Tuaran constituency. "The whole issue of me and my colleagues in quitting BN is the failure by the BN federal government to resolve the issues of illegal immigrants and the extraordinary population increase in Sabah over the last two decades," he said. READ MORE HERE

Karpal offers to help stop condo project Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:28 PM PDT DAP national chairman offers pro bono legal services to the Batu Caves temple committee in its efforts to stop the condo project near the area. K Pragalath, FMT DAP national chairman Karpal Singh has offered to help the Batu Caves temple committee stop the construction of a condo project adjacent to the temple. "In the event the matter is taken to court, I will offer my services pro bono to ensure a successful judicial pronouncement in favour of the temple committee," said Karpal. Last week, the Sri Mahamariamman Devasthanam chairman R Nadarajah raised concerns over the proposed 29-storey project to built adjacent to the temple. The Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam manages the running of Sri Subramaniar Swamy temple in Batu Caves which has the tallest Lord Murugan statue in the world. Nadarajah said the matter may be referred to the courts if there was no sign of a permanent stop work order against the developer, Dolomite Properties Sdn Bhd. He also urged the Selangor government to scrap the project. 'Stop the blame game' Karpal said: "The state government cannot afford to ignore the manifestations of protests against the project. "There is no scarcity of land in the land bank to provide an alternative site for the project. In fact there is no reason for the developer not to accept an alternative site," he added. Karpal who is also Jelutong MP, urged BN and Pakatan Rakyat to stop the blame game over which party was responsible for approving the project. Selangor exco Ronnie Liu had blamed the previous BN administration in the Selayang municipal council in approving the project in 2007.

Rafizi was too loud, Nazri tells Parliament Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:25 PM PDT The de facto law minister explains why the PKR man is in legal trouble over his exposes.  K Pragalath, FMT Justice may be blind, but it has ears sharp enough to tell the difference between the squeal of a whistle and the roar of a trumpet. That appeared to be de facto law minister Nazri Aziz's message to Parliament today when he was trying to explain why PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli could not use the Whistle Blowers Act 2010 as a shield against prosecution over his exposes of the NFCorp scandal. Rafizi and former bank employee Johari Mohamad are facing charges under the Banking and Financial Institution Act (Bafia) over their exposure of bank documents related to the accounts held by the National Feedlot Corporation. "They are trumpet blowers, not whistle blowers," Nazri said in response to a question from Khalid Ibrahim (PKR-Bandar Tun Razak). He said the Whistle Blowers Act was not meant to protect law breakers. "You blow the trumpet to the whole world. So what protection do you need? "This act cannot protect those who commit a wrongdoing. It protects whistle blowers. We can't protect him if he breached Bafia." Responding to Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan), who asked for a further explanation, Nazri said the Official Secrets Act and Bafia both described the kind of information that could not be divulged to the public.

MACC report over ‘failed’ Kedah project Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:08 PM PDT Gerakan wants anti-graft body to probe Kedah Corporation Berhad's failed logging and plantation projects in Papua New Guinea. Teoh El Sen, FMT The MACC has been urged to look into possible corruption offences in the failed logging and plantation projects in Papua New Guinea brought about by state-owned Kedah Corporation Berhad. Kedah Gerakan Youth today lodged a report asking the MACC to start investigations into the project which the 2011 Auditor-General's report said brought millions in losses to the state. "We estimate it be about RM14 million, and want the MACC to investigate," Kedah Gerakan Youth chief Tan Keng Liang told reporters outside the MACC headquarters here. The AG's report also revealed that a goodwill payment was made to a third party (vendor) for the purpose of "lobbying to minister" for the project. Tan said he was puzzled as to which minister the report was referring to, and why such lobbying was necessary. "There were no feasibility studies, no due diligence done on the company. It does not justify the RM1.21 million paid to this third party vendor," he said. Tan said the worse part was that the Kedah state government was trying to wash its hand of the mater and shift the blame to other parties. "With power comes responsibility and accountability," said Tan, who lodged a police report last week over the same matter. Tan said it was up to the authorities to see if there were criminal elements, including criminal breach of trust (CBT) or corruption, involved in the case. KCB, a subsidiary of Menteri Besar Incorporated, had bought a 70% stake in MAS Incorporated Ltd (a company registered in Papua New Guinea) for RM31.21 million. This was for the development of two areas totalling 114,429 hectares in Papua New Guinea. 'Goodwill payment' The project, however, was terminated by the KCB board of directors on March 1 last year on the grounds that it was not feasible and contained many irregularities. The failed investment, according to the AG's report, caused KCB to incur losses amounting to RM13.49 million. The incurred losses of this 'high risk investment' reached the extent where the company concerned had to take a RM135 million offshore bank loan. READ MORE HERE

Masing: We’ll wallop our opponents Posted: 29 Oct 2012 04:02 PM PDT (Borneo Post) - We will beat the heck out of them. That's what PRS president Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said when asked what he had in mind for the Opposition during the impending general election. He said PRS was in battle-ready mode and would go full throttle when Parliament is dissolved. "I am not worried about them (Oppostion), and I am very confident that we will beat the 'heck' out of them," said Masing, who is also Minister of Land Development, yesterday. On the recent endorsement of lawyer Abun Sui by PKR Hulu Rajang to stand in Hulu Rajang in the polls, Masing told The Borneo Post that this was their (PKR) business. "They can decide whoever they want, but we will fight them. We have been fighting our opponents all these years." PKR Hulu Rajang chairman Frankie Bedindang Manjoh was quoted last week after its annual general meeting (AGM) that Abun was the ideal candidate as he had earned his reputation as a staunch defender of NCR land. PRS's parliamentary seats are Sri Aman, Lubok Antu, Julau, Selangau, Kanowit and Hulu Rajang. Besides PKR, Sarawak Workers Party (SWP) is also eyeing seats belonging to PRS. Ever since its formation several months ago, SWP publicly announced that it would challenge PRS in all its six constituencies. During PRS's Supreme Council Meeting last Saturday, Masing said PRS 30 (comprising of members aged 30 and below) would play a significant role in helping the party retain all their six seats. He said the party would basically utilise PRS 30 to touch base with youths. The group would also use the social media such as Facebook and Twitter to gel with youths, he said.

'BN has Pakatan's dirty laundry list' Posted: 29 Oct 2012 03:50 PM PDT (NST) - Barisan Nasional is in possession of every minute detail relating to Pakatan Rakyat's dirty laundry in the form of piled up documents as evidence. "What are they trying to say? We have details right up to their candidacy list for the upcoming 13th general election," BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said. Tengku Adnan said that PR had taken the trading of barbs to an immature level. "But we do not blow our horns, we only break the news today (yesterday)." Tengku Adnan attributed the reaction to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng's move, claiming to have obtained secret documents about BN's election preparations. Tengku Adnan also said that people have to bear in mind that Guan Eng's claim could also be merely a political gimmick as always. "The document they claim to be in possession of is not damaging to BN. It is merely a document regarding the state of readiness in the coalition. However, it was never proven that Guan Eng had truly managed to lay his hands on it. "Nevertheless we need to take precautions. We will identify the leak if there's any and I have written to all 13 BN component party presidents to remind them to treat party-related documents with utmost care and secrecy." Tengku Adnan said this after receiving 5,000 copies of 100 Wira Negara books by Mubarak Malaysia, which will be distributed to delegates at the Umno general assembly next month. The book, on 100 celebrated and distinguished national heroes, is a good reference for youngsters, especially those who were born post independence, said Tengku Mansor. "Sometimes, we forget the uphill battle our predecessors fought for our independence and building Malaysia to be what we are today. "Who we are today and in the future depends on who we were in the past. That's why its important to remember and uphold our history."

Kamalanathan wants apology from Ronnie Liu for alleging link to Batu Caves condo project approval Posted: 28 Oct 2012 08:36 PM PDT (The Star) - A Barisan Nasional MP has asked Selangor exco member Ronnie Liu to apologise for linking him to approving the 29-storey condominium project near Batu Caves. Calling it "defamation of the first class", P. Kamalanathan (BN - Hulu Selangor) said he will consider taking legal action against Liu if he failed to apologise "as soon as possible". "I was a Selayang municipal councillor from 2004 to 2006. I had no power in 2007 when the project was approved," said the Putera MIC coordinator during a press conference at the Parliament lobby Monday. Kamalanathan claimed that Liu had the intention to tarnish his good name by making his statement. He also questioned why the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government did not do anything to stop the project even though it had been in power since 2008. In a news report, Liu had said the project was approved on Sept 27, 2007, when the state was ruled by Barisan Nasional. He claimed that Kamalanathan and Selangor Gerakan chief A. Kohilan Pillai were Selayang municipal councillors when the project was given the green light. Kamalanathan, via his officers, had lodged a police report to investigate Liu for allegedly slandering him on Oct 24. It was reported that Batu Caves would face the risk of caving in if the condominium project went ahead. Selangor Malaysian Nature Society committee member Lim Teck Wyn said the project would expedite the limestone massif's natural erosion process, causing it to possibly cave in sooner.

I did not get RM3m from Chia but the car…’ Posted: 28 Oct 2012 05:12 PM PDT Nazri Abdul Aziz denies receiving RM3 million from a timber tycoon 'friend' but is unsure if the latter lent his car to his son. Patrick Lee, FMT Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz has denied receiving any money from timber tycoon Michael Chia over a purported RM40 million scandal involving Sabah Umno. He was responding to Malaysia Today blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (also known as RPK) who claimed that Nazri and his son Mohamad Nedim received RM3 million and a sports car respectively from Chia. "Oh no, it's not true, it's not true. Chia is a friend. I don't know if he lent the car to my son. You have to ask my son," he told FMT in his office this afternoon. Although he did not directly criticise Raja Petra over the claim, Nazri said that he had no problem with this matter being raised. "RPK is a social person. He mixes a lot with people, so he probably gets information from them. Then by (Petra) writing this, it gives me the opportunity to give my side of the story," he said. Nazri also stressed that he had no influence over the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) or the judiciary, adding that if he had, Chia's case would have been dropped. In a Malaysia Today report, Raja Petra claimed that Chia personally came to Parliament to hand RM3 million over to Nazri, after the latter allegedly resolved a matter relating to the RM40 million scandal. He also claimed that Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Attorney-General Abdul Gani-Patail were similarly involved.

EC to blame for BN’s loss of Chinese support Posted: 28 Oct 2012 04:40 PM PDT Sabah's Chinese-based Liberal Democratic Party wants the ruling national alliance to provide for more Chinese representation in government. Queville To, FMT PENAMPANG: A Sabah-based Barisan Nasional partner is blaming the loss of Chinese support on the Election Commission's (EC) gerrymandering. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) said the manipulation of election boundaries by the EC had caused the Chinese community in the state to lose their voice despite their large number. Speaking at a party event on Sunday, its secretary-general-cum-Tanjung Aru division chief Teo Chee Kang said the party hopes the coalition will nominate Chinese candidates especially in those mixed constituencies which have a large Chinese population. He noted that currently out of the 60 state constituencies, only 12 of them are the Chinese constituencies, as the result of gerrymandering by the EC. He cited Lahad Datu, Keningau and Tenom which have a sizeable number of Chinese voters do not have Chinese representatives to look after their interests. "Lahad Datu which has more than 8,000 Chinese voters has been divided by Lahad Datu and Tunku constituencies. Keningau which has more than 7,000 Chinese voters has been split by Liawan and Bingkor constituencies, while Tenom with more than 6,000 Chinese voters is being divided by Kemabong and Melalap constituencies," he said. He claimed that a recent survey conducted by several state BN Chinese component parties throughout the state had revealed that the absence of Chinese representatives in these constituencies has caused great dissatisfaction among the Chinese community there, which had inevitably affected their support for BN. Teo said his party hopes the BN leaderships should pay attention to this when fielding the candidates in the coming general election. "This is important as, if there's a Chinese representative, it would better facilitate the government solving of the various issues affecting the Chinese community in these areas," he said. READ MORE HERE

Kayveas: We want seats lost by BN parties Posted: 28 Oct 2012 04:35 PM PDT The PPP chief also warns Gerakan and MIC of a backlash if they attempt to sabotage his party's chances as he claims they did in 2008. Humayun Kabir, FMT TAIPING: The People's Progressive Party (PPP) wants to field its winnable candidates in areas that other BN component parties lost in the 2008 general election. Party chief M Kayveas said: "We want to contest in BN areas that were lost to the opposition in the last general election as our chances of winning these seats are bright." Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's said he wants winnable candidates liked by voters and has warned component parties that there was no guarantee they will get the traditional seats. PPP has been assured of a two parliamentary and two state seats but it has proposed another two parliamentary seats and four other state seats for Najib's consideration. Kayveas said this to FMT after a recent visit to his Taiping PPP office but declined to name the seats as he fears possible sabotage by other BN component parties. He claimed that Gerakan and MIC had stabbed him in the back when he stood in the Taiping parliamentary seat in the 2008, causing him to lose the seat to DAP's Nga Kor Ming. Kayveas warned them of a backlash if they again tried to sabotage PPP's chances in the polls as PPP has a membership of 600,000 in the 3,000 its branches nationwide. PPP was badly mauled when it lost both the parliamentary and state seats allocated to it in the last general election. To strengthen its chances in the polls, PPP has launched the 'Mission 510′ voters which requires each branch recruiting 510 people as assured voters for BN. More seats sought Meanwhile, party insiders say that PPP wants the parliamentary seats of Gerik in Perak, Batu or Bandar Tun Razak, both in the Federal Territories. The party is also eyeing the Pasir Bedamar state seat in Perak and Kota Laksamana in Malacca. PPP has appealed to Najib for more seats in Pahang, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. READ MORE HERE

‘RM40m scandal may see BN lose Sabah’ Posted: 28 Oct 2012 04:06 PM PDT Raja Petra also claims that more are involved in the RM40 million scandal - including the home minister, attorney-general and a Cabinet minister. Leven Woon, FMT Timber scandals in Sabah, particularly the recent one involving a RM40 million "donation", may cost Barisan Nasional the state, claimed Raja Petra Kamarudin today. The editor of the Malaysia Today blog, in his latest posting "The timber mafia is larger than you suspect", also claimed that there were more people involved in the "untold story" of timber commissions scandal and it was not just limited to businessman Michael Chia and Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman. "The likelihood of half the parliamentary seats in Sabah falling to the opposition is not an impossible scenario. And if that happens then the state can fall as well. That is how serious this matter has become," he said. He said that BN could lose at least 10 of the 25 Parliamentary seats in Sabah to the opposition, while three other seats — Kota Belud, Ranau and Papar — would be "close fights and could go either way". The10 seats he mentioned were: Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Sipanggar, Penampang, Beaufort, Keningau, Pensiangan, Tuaran and Kota Marudu. "If Pakatan Rakyat is clever and if they know the correct way in playing up this issue, Sabah may fall and they might even win enough parliamentary seats to march into Putrajaya. My concern is that Pakatan will instead fight amongst themselves over seat allocations, which will allow BN to retain Sabah, " he said. Will Musa be replaced? Raja Petra predicted that with the scandal still brewing hot, the current chief minister's position has become unstable and Umno may have to replace Musa as the Sabah Umno chief to appease voters. He said that his website had published articles about the timber scandals involving Musa and others since 2004, but many are still unaware of the extent of the alleged corruption. READ MORE HERE

‘Hudud is not the issue…’ Posted: 28 Oct 2012 03:59 PM PDT There is 'little chance' for hudud to be implemented, claim the KL Chinese Assembly Hall and Johor Chamber of Commerce. Leven Woon, FMT While MCA and its political opponents in Pakatan Rakyat engage in yet another round of heated exchange on hudud, several other Chinese groups have made their stand known and raised concerns over the ongoing Islamisation process, particularly of the civil service. The groups were against PAS' proposal to impose hudud once the Islamic party comes into power. And they also noted that the process of Islamisation in Malaysia had begun much earlier. They were also of the opinion that the chance for hudud being implemented was low. KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall chief executive officer Tang Ah Chai said the Chinese were generally against hudud because the country was founded on the principles of a secular state. "We were never a religious state. So as a non-Muslim, we cannot accept an Islamic state but only Islam as the official religion," he told FMT. He said that given the current socio-political background, it would be hard for PAS to push forward its hudud agenda. "So rather than spending so much time discussing something which is only a possibility, why don't we look at the Islamisation process in our country which has been there for 30 years?" he asked. Tang said under the leadership of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the country witnessed a wide-ranging Islamisation process that saw more prominence being given to Islamic syariah laws, and Islamic values were infused into the civil service. On the bright side, he said Islamisation also brought in the concept of Islamic banking system. He also noted that there were not many intellectual discussions among the Chinese on the issue of hudud, hence the community only held vague impression that hudud meant arm-chopping. "In-depth discussions were found lacking on topics such as the Islamic judiciary system, the evidence act and under what circumstances would someone's hand be chopped," he said. Issue exploited for political mileage The Johor Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Lim Beh felt that the hudud issue was played up by "certain political parties" to suit their political agendas. "I feel this is an outdated question. If you chant about it in the 70s, maybe the people would get frightened. But now people are just bored of it," he told FMT. READ MORE HERE

BN’s targets PAS, PKR seats in S’gor Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:26 PM PDT (Free Malaysia Today) - According to a Selangor assemblyman, DAP seats are "not the battleground" in the coming election. Barisan Nasional is aiming to gun down PAS and PKR in Selangor in the coming general election.   And death is imminent if the Election Commission (EC) does not clean-up the rolls of the almost 110,000 "untraceable" new registered voters, claims state exco Ronnie Liu from DAP. Liu, who is the Pandamaran state assemblyman, said PAS and PKR – two component parties within Pakatan Rakyat – will almost be certain to be wiped-out from the state assembly if the EC fails to clean up the rolls. He said out of the total 610,000 new registered voters, only about 500,000 voters were located by Pakatan representatives who recently carried out a survey in the state to confirm the names and addresses voters provided by the EC. "Even if we take into consideration the error rate in our survey, the 110,000 voters is a very high number. Most of them were registered mainly at the state constituencies won by PAS and PKR with close margin of votes (in the 2008 election)," Liu told FMT. For the record, in the 2008 election, BN only secured 20 seats – 18 seats won by Umno and two more by MCA – out of the 56 seats in the Selangor state legislative assembly. Pakatan – PKR, DAP and PAS – won 15, 13 and eight seats respectively. Liu said it will be almost impossible for Selangor Pakatan leaders to take on BN without "cleaning up" the electoral roll. He said the minimum requirement under the Election Offences Act was for voters to either reside or at least work at their respective constituencies. "But here in Selangor we have more than half million people registered as new voters and this trend was not recorded in other states. "The onus is on the National Registration Department (NRD) to verify all the particulars provided by the applicants who are requesting to update their addresses for the purpose of voting," he added. He said this will ensure that a single address is not being used by 20 to 30 voters. "The EC is just providing lip service whenever we approach them on discrepancies and is not showing any signs that they will act on this issue," lamented Liu. PKR, PAS seats targeted He said state Pakatan leaders will not oppose to dissolving the state assembly any time soon as long EC comes out with a better explanation on the 110,000 "uncounted for voters". "These 110,000 voters are either Umno or MCA members of other states who have been systematically registered here in Selangor with the clear intention to deny Pakatan from ruling the state for second time," he added. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2012/10/29/bns-targets-pas-pkr-seats-in-sgor/

Asia language plan 'central' to Australian reforms: PM Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:16 PM PDT (The Sun Daily) - Australian students would have "priority" access throughout their schooling to Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese languages, with Gillard vowing to link every school with an Asian partner for online classes by 2025.   Every Australian school will be partnered online with one in Asia by 2025 as regional languages become "central" to education reform plans, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said Monday. Boosting so-called "Asia literacy" is central to an ambitious plan to rocket Australia into the world's top 10 wealthiest economies in the next 13 years by broadening links with fast-growing China and its neighbours. A policy paper, "Australia in the Asian Century", was unveiled Sunday and contains a number of lofty goals for 2025 focused on education and business with key Asian partners China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and India. Australian students would have "priority" access throughout their schooling to Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese languages, with Gillard vowing to link every school with an Asian partner for online classes by 2025. "I'm going to put access to Asian languages at the centre of (our) national school improvement plan," she told ABC radio Monday, promising a "far broader and far more systematic" approach to Asian language learning. Gillard said it was essential to send "the right message to our kids about how important it is for their future and the careers that they will choose for them to have Asia language capability and general Asian literacy". The prime minister said Australia's national broadband network (NBN) -- a huge project working to connect 93 percent of homes to superfast Internet by 2017 -- would be key to connecting with Asian classrooms and teachers. "We live in an age of different learning possibilities and choices," she said. "The exchange on the NBN... can truly be two-way, where the language teacher is interacting with every child, and we want those children interacting with kids in a school in Asia." Gillard said she had already seen one such programme in action, with an Australian and South Korean school holding joint online sessions and students continuing their friendship outside of lessons on social media networks. "Kids (are)... actually genuinely getting to know each other and something about each other's lifestyles," she said. "And I think if you can do that then you can help inspire the passion of children." According to the latest population census, conducted last year, 76.8 percent of Australians only speak English at home. Mandarin is the most common language after English, spoken in 1.6 percent of homes, followed by Italian (1.4 percent), Arabic (1.3 percent), Cantonese and Greek (both 1.2 percent).

Liow: Change will lead to instability Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:11 PM PDT (The Star) - This general election will determine if Malaysia will continue using secular laws or be an Islamic nation as propagated by the Opposition, said MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai. He said Malaysia, as a multi-racial country, was developed based on equality and the rights of every citizen. "The country has developed well under the current system. If we change this, it can lead to instability," said Liow, adding that Malaysia could not practise two systems simultaneously. "All of us, including the Muslims, agree that we should respect each other's religious rights," he told reporters after launching Malaysia's Chinese Calligraphy Stone Gallery at the Nirvana Memorial Park here yesterday. Liow was commenting on a statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that Malaysia was never declared a secular state by its past leaders. Last Monday, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said the country's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, had declared that Malaysia was a secular nation with Islam as its official religion. Earlier, Liow, who is also Health Minister, launched the stone gallery which features over 150 calligraphic stele. The stone slabs, carved with ancient writing, recorded historical events and ceremonial recitals across the different Chinese dynasties. Liow said the gallery marked an important milestone in preserving and expanding Chinese culture. NV Multi Asia Group founder and managing director/CEO Datuk Kong Hon Kong said the gallery would serve as a good platform to expose youths to Chinese history. Group chairman Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said the company planned to have calligraphy competitions and talks so the public could appreciate the age-old art form.

Khaled: Do not sell given land Posted: 28 Oct 2012 01:09 PM PDT (The Star) - Squatters given land titles should not take advantage of the situation by selling their plots. Pasir Gudang MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the squatters should be thankful to the Government for allowing them to own the land that they have been squatting on and should not sell it to a third party even if they are offered high prices. "They were allowed to own the land as most of them are poor and have nowhere else to go. They shouldn't take advantage of the generosity of the Government," he said. He was speaking to reporters after handing out quit rent notices to residents in Kampung Masai Baru here on Saturday. Mohamed Khaled said squatters should instead build proper houses for their families. "Although the land now belongs to them, they should think of all the trouble others have gone through to provide them with the titles," he said. Mohamed Khaled, who is also Higher Education Minister, added that the Government would continue to help former squatters here and address issues that affect them. "So far, the 5A Notices have been issued for residents in three settlements, namely Kampung Pasir Gudang Baru, Kampung Melayu Makmur and Kampung Masai Baru," he said. He added that residents in Kampung Melayu Pandan would also receive the notices soon. "It is, however, quite challenging for us to get the titles for the land sorted out as a large portion of it is not fully owned by the Government," he said. He added that another way to solve the matter would be to offer the former squatters houses worth RM200,000 each in a different location.

Despite Pakatan push, BN expects to win more than 140 seats Posted: 28 Oct 2012 09:30 AM PDT Jahabar Sadiq, The Malaysian Insider The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) expects to win more than the 140 federal seats it took in Election 2008 despite the onslaught and talk by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that it can capture Putrajaya in the next general election which must be called by the end of April 2013, say government sources. But BN politicians concede that as many as seven parliamentary seats in Sarawak and six in Sabah are vulnerable to PR but maintain that their stronghold on rural areas remain strong. There are 222 parliamentary constituencies and 505 state seats up for grabs in the coming 13th general election. "The worst-case scenario is winning just over 120 seats but we're confident of getting as much as we did in 2008 if not more," a senior BN official told The Malaysian Insider, saying that their calculations do not take into account the impact of another Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) payout next January where households earning less than RM3,000 a month will get a one-off RM500 cash aid. The Malaysian Insider learnt that BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor expressed confidence that the ruling coalition will do as well as in 2008 during a recent talk with the Foreign Correspondents Club of Malaysia despite uneasiness over risky seats in the coalition's "fixed deposit" states of Sabah and Sarawak. It is understood that BN is expecting to lose some of the seats held by four Sabah MPs who left the coalition while the urban Chinese sentiment in Sarawak could see those seats going to PR. In Election 2008, the DAP was the sole PR component party to win a federal seat each in Sabah and Sarawak. However, the opposition has questioned BN's confidence as the ruling coalition expects to lose more seats in Sabah and Sarawak in the coming elections than before. "How is BN going to make up for losses in the fixed deposit states?" asked an opposition lawmaker when contacted by The Malaysian Insider. "BN knows it can lose up to six in Sabah and seven in Sarawak but it hopes to make it up elsewhere, especially in the peninsula where sentiment is swinging back to the government," one Umno leader told The Malaysian Insider, saying programmes like BR1M have a positive effect on voters. The BR1M began earlier this year and some RM2 billion was spent for over four million households. The BR1M 2.0 also includes a one-off RM250 for unmarried people between 21 and 30 who earn up to RM2,000. Analysts say the expanded coverage would include most of the 2.2 million first-time voters expected to cast their ballots in the next elections. There are now just over 13 million voters in the country of 28 million people. BN politicians also point out that they are expected to get back support from the Indian community, who number 1.7 million, as the coalition has been fulfilling their requests and also extended more aid to them. READ MORE HERE

Lembah Pantai tough for BN due to split Malay vote, Nong Chik says Posted: 27 Oct 2012 07:41 PM PDT Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider The Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition will have a tough time winning back the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat, Umno's Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said today while blaming it on attempts by "certain" political parties to divide the Malay-Muslim vote. The Malay-Muslim community forms roughly 60 per cent of Malaysia's population and is split three-ways between the country's biggest Malay party, Umno, Islamist opposition party PAS, and PKR, seen as an urban liberal party. Political parties have sparred over issues such as the implementation of hudud laws — the Islamic penal code — in an attempt to gain support from the Malay community ahead of the 13th general election. "[It] cannot be denied the Umno-BN machinery will face fierce competition in the general election here. But I feel there is a bright chance to win. "[The] barrier (halangan) to [a BN victory] arises from certain parties in the country that try to split the Muslims in the country," Raja Nong Chik said after attending a Hari Raya Aidiladha celebration at Pantai Baru this morning. Raja Nong Chik, who is seen as a likely candidate from Umno for the parliamentary seat, said that preparations have already been made and the party machinery is impatiently waiting for the prime minister's green light. In Election 2008, Umno Wanita chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil failed to defend the Lembah Pantai hot seat, suffering a surprise defeat to Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Nurul Izzah won the seat with 21,728 votes while Shahrizat and an independent candidate received 18,833 votes and 489 votes, respectively. Earlier this month, Shahrizat had openly declared her support for Raja Nong Chik to be the Umno candidate for the Lembah Pantai seat in the coming election. Shahrizat had said that none was more qualified than Raja Nong Chik, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, saying that he had worked hard in the Lembah Pantai area. "Actually, I've supported Datuk Raja Nong Chik since three years ago but only today I'm declaring it," said the former minister whose family has been linked to the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal.

Merger of 5 PKNS assets approved by Federal Treasury, says Khalid Posted: 27 Oct 2012 07:36 PM PDT (Bernama) - The merger of five assets belonging to the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) into a single group asset transferred to a wholly-owned subsidiary of PKNS had received the approval of the Federal Treasury. Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said thus there was no necessity for him to reply on the issue which was raised by several parties because the PKNS deputy general manager (corporate) Datin Paduka Norazlina Zakaria had already given a reply on the matter. He was commenting on the call by Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar that Abdul Khalid, who is also the PKNS chairman, give a full explanation on the claim that the PKNS board of directors had approved the sale of the five PKNS assets worth RM321mil. Noh said the five assets were Menara PKNS Petaling Jaya worth RM90mil, Shah Alam Convention Centre (RM97mil), Shah Alam PKNS Complex (RM85mil), Bangi PKNS Kompleks (RM42mil) and Wisma Yakin Kuala Lumpur (RM7mil). Noh, who is also the Selangor Barisan Nasional deputy chairman, made the call at a function, here on Sunday.

Soi Lek: Jamil needs to do homework on hudud first Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:49 PM PDT (The Star) - Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom has not done his homework when he said PAS' brand of hudud would have no effect on non-Muslims. "Maybe he did not do his homework. I am disappointed with what he said," the MCA president said. On Wednesday, Jamil Khir told Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng in the Dewan Rakyat that hudud would not affect non-Muslims. Tan had asked him if it would ever be implemented in Malaysia. Speaking to reporters after chairing the Batu Pahat MCA committee meeting on Friday, Dr Chua invited Jamil Khir to a debate on how hudud would affect all Malaysians, pointing out that it involved amending the Federal Constitution. He also pointed out that a political party should not be equated to religion. "PAS is a political party while Islam is the official religion. "The MCA is upholding the constitution which states the country's official religion is Islam while Malaysians are free to embrace their own," he said. Asked if his comments about Jamil Khir would affect Barisan Nasional, Dr Chua said the MCA, as a political party, had the right to express its views. Dr Chua added that he would not apologise to a group of PAS Youth members who had held a protest at Wisma MCA over his statement on hudud. "Why should we be scared? We are merely stressing our views and the people have the right to choose," he said. On another matter, Dr Chua said the DAP had been championing PAS as this was obvious when Rasah MP and DAP Youth leader Anthony Loke slammed the table in Parliament against the MCA in defence of PAS spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. "When Penang PKR chief Datuk Mansor Othman remarked that Penangites viewed Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as tokong (deity), why did Loke not slam the table in Parliament? "Does this mean that to Loke, Nik Aziz is more important than Lim?" he asked, claiming that this showed that the DAP was a "political eunuch" to PAS. Dr Chua also said that Batu Pahat MCA would hold a mega dinner at Sea View Restaurant on Nov 3 and the money raised would be channelled to six Chinese primary schools and a Chinese independent school in the area. "From next year onwards, 25 poor students from each of the Chinese primary schools will be given RM600 in aid per year while those from the independent school will receive RM1,000 every year," he said.

Soi Lek disagrees with Umno ally over hudud Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:43 PM PDT Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has openly disagreed with his Umno colleague in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) that introducing hudud, the strict Islamic penal code, here will not impact non-Muslims, adding to the protracted debate over religious rights in multicultural Malaysia. "Maybe he did not do his homework. I am disappointed with what he said," the MCA president was reported as saying today by English-language paper The Sunday Star. Dr Chua was referring to Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, who had earlier this week said hudud could only apply to Muslims as they come under the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts. "Therefore, hudud law will not impact non-Muslims," Jamil Khir, the minister for Islamic affairs, told Parliament in a written reply. He had based his reply on the Federal Constitution, where Islamic law falls under the jurisdiction of each state and is only applicable to Muslims. "Therefore, if hudud is to be implemented in Malaysia, then the Syariah Court would only have jurisdiction over those who practise Islam in accordance with the Federal Constitution," Jamil Khir had said. Malaysia's dual-track court system has resulted in an blurring of lines in an increasing number of legal disputes between Muslims and non-Muslims over their constitutional rights. Dr Chua had last week said many Chinese voters are "also aware that the DAP has been lying when it said that hudud will not affect the non-Muslims". MCA has been using the hudud issue to warn non-Muslims, especially the Chinese community, away from voting for Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in the coming polls, insisting that the pact's "dominant" partner PAS would insist on its implementation despite its ties with secular DAP and PKR. Hudud has remained a sensitive touch point in Southeast Asia's third-largest economy, which has a 60 per cent Muslim population, with political parties continuing to spar over the subject in the run-up to the 13th general election. The idea of an Islamic criminal code has been used to either scare the minority Chinese voters, or shore up support among the majority Malay-Muslim community. The Malay community is seen today as split three-ways among the ruling BN's mainstay and the country's biggest Malay party, Umno, the opposition's Islamist PAS, and PKR, which is seen as an urban liberal party. MCA had also previously warned that Muslim MPs would unite to amend the Federal Constitution in favour of hudud and the Islamic state if PR takes over, but DAP's Lim Kit Siang had dismissed it as a "lie" to stop the Chinese community from voting for the opposition. Lim had said that there were only 130 Muslim MPs in the country, while 148 MPs are needed to make up the two-thirds majority for a constitutional amendment.

Karpal gets flak over seat call Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:20 PM PDT The CEC has discussed this issue before. It all depends on the party's strategy in each constituency and state. - TERESA KOK (The Star) - DAP national chairman Karpal Singh has come under fire from party leaders for his "one candidate, one seat" proposal, with a senior leader describing it as an "old story" and another saying it was unwise to raise it in the media. Others, mainly those holding both parliamentary and state seats, chose to keep mum. National organising secretary Teresa Kok, who is the Seputeh MP and Kinrara assemblyman, brushed off Karpal's call as an "old story." "The party's candidature committee will deal with this and the central executive committee (CEC) has discussed this issue before. "It all depends on the party's strategy in each constituency and state," Kok said. Selangor Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim, a four-term DAP assemblyman, said the party should have discussed the issue before the media was involved. "It is not wise to raise (this matter) in the media. It creates unnecessary disputes and problems,'' he said. Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming, who is Taiping MP and Pantai Remis assemblyman, declined to comment while state party chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, the Beruas MP and Sitiawan assemblyman, could not be reached for comment. DAP Socialist Youth chief Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who is Rasah MP and Lobak assemblyman, had little to say except that the party leadership should decide. Penang DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow, who is Tanjung MP and Padang Kota assemblyman, said the party would make a decision "when the time comes", with party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, who is Bagan MP and Air Putih assemblyman, saying the matter would be brought to the CEC for discussion. On Friday, Karpal urged DAP leaders who held both parliamentary and state seats to publicly express a willingness to give up one. He said that while there would be "extraordinary exceptions" to his "one candidate, one seat" proposal, all should be willing to vie only for a single constituency. The Bukit Gelugor MP said Guan Eng, who is also Penang Chief Minister, should be among the "exceptions". Penang, the only state where the DAP holds the majority within the state government, has three DAP dual-seat representatives Lim, Chow and Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy, who is Batu Kawan MP and Prai assemblyman. All three are in the state executive council line-up and receive additional basic salaries for these positions. It is learnt that each of the three representatives could lose over RM13,000 a month should they give up their parliament or state seat. An assemblyman-cum-state executive councillor in Selangor can earn up to RM16,000 a month including allowances, besides getting an official car and driver. If one is also an MP, the monthly remuneration would be almost double as a parliamentarian is paid about RM15,000 each month.

Pros and cons in early naming of election candidates Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:14 PM PDT (The Star) - Barisan Nasional leaders have discussed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak the possibility of announcing the list of general election candidates early. Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said there were pros and cons in an early announcement and that no final decision had been made on the matter. The MCA president said an early announcement would give a candidate more time to prepare besides introducing himself or herself to the people. Nevertheless, he also noted that those who were not in favour of the candidate would also have more time to sabotage him or her. Speaking to reporters after chairing the state liaison committee meeting here yesterday, Dr Chua, who is also Johor MCA chairman, said in the past, candidates would only be made known just days before nomination day. On Friday, Barisan secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor hinted that the names of Barisan candidates could be announced earlier. On another matter, Dr Chua challenged DAP general election hopefuls to stay and serve in Johor if they wished to contest in the state. "Locals are angry when they are forced to accept parachute candidates from Kuala Lumpur," he said, adding that some said they wanted to contest in Johor because they were born in the state. "I have served in the state for the past 26 years and I am still serving here despite not knowing if I will be a candidate in the coming elections." On the MCA's mega dinners, he said there would be between 20 and 30 mega dinners nationwide in the next two months following the good response from the nine dinners this month. "The dinners will be used to explain the country's situation to the rakyat so that they will not be continuously misled by the Opposition. "The Opposition, especially DAP, is good at talking but poor in delivery. DAP brands itself as a multi-racial party but does not dare contest in a non-Chinese majority seat," he said, challenging the DAP to contest in a Malay majority seat. Dr Chua also said that, of the RM500,000 proceeds from the mega dinner here, the MCA donated RM300,000 to Kulai's Foon Yew High School while the balance went to Southern College. He said about 15,000 people attended the dinner last night.

Former Ops Lalang detainees happy that ISA has been repealed Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:09 PM PDT Former detainee: Muzaffar (The Star) - Former Ops Lalang detainees are glad the Internal Security Act (ISA) will no longer be used to detain people without trial. In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the crackdown yesterday, ex-detainees said arrests under the ISA were no longer relevant with current times. International Movement for Just World (JUST) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar said the abolition of the ISA was a milestone for Malaysians who had struggled to protect and enhance human dignity. He praised the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act for having a "remarkable" feature which stripped authorities of absolute power over security offences. Dr Chandra, who was Aliran president then and was detained for 52 days, said similar swoops should not be allowed to happen again. Former detainee: Kerk "I don't think we should resort to mass arrests to defuse tension. "There are other ways to find out the cause of problems," he said. On Oct 27, 1987, 106 Opposition and Barisan Nasional politicians, academics and social activists were detained under the ISA. The licences of three newspapers The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh and Watan (which has ceased publication) were also withdrawn. The Star only resumed publication in March the following year. Most of those detained were released within 60 days, but 40, including veteran DAP leader Lim Kit Siang and his son Guan Eng, several PAS leaders and activists were held for two years. Former detainee: Karpal In September last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak rescinded the Emergency ordinances, repealed the Restricted Residence and Banishment Acts and instituted new laws, such as the Security Offences (Special Measures) and National Harmony Acts to replace the Internal Security and Sedition Acts respectively. Today, newspapers and other publications are no longer required to renew their printing press licences and publication permits annually, in line with the amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act. Former DAP secretary-general Kerk Kim Hock said such mass arrests should not be allowed to happen again. "The history of ISA is a record of misuse. "Ops Lalang marked a dark chapter in the nation's history. No such crackdown must ever happen again," he stressed. Kerk was only 31 when he was held for 60 days under ISA. Former detainee: Wee He was not shocked over his detention although it came a year after he was elected as Durian Daun assemblyman. DAP chairman Karpal Singh, who was 47 and Jelutong MP when he was arrested, said he has always been against laws that allow detention without trial. MCA treasurer Tan Sri Tan Chai Ho, who was the party's Federal Territory Youth vice-chief when he was detained for 57 days, believed such crackdowns would not happen again as society was now more liberal, while Wangsa Maju MP Wee Choo Keong, who was also detained, said the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act was good to nip racial tensions in the bud. "We cannot afford any tension that can lead the country into chaos. Former detainee: Tan "I believe no Malaysian wants to see a repeat of May 13," he said. The Star group chief editor Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai said he was glad the ISA was repealed. "What the Prime Minister has done is to remove many of these laws which gave him plenty of power. "We must recognise this point," he said. Wong, who was then a reporter in Penang, recalled how staff had to go through Christmas and Chinese New Year without their salaries when The Star was suspended. He was also glad there was no longer a need to renew the printing permit annually but stressed that it was not enough. Former detainee: Meenakshi "The printing permit must go. The sooner it goes, the better it is for press freedom," he said, adding that he has been consistent in his call to repeal the requirement. He also recalled that a Special Branch officer had asked to meet him on the morning of the suspension. "The air was tense and the press was worried that reporters would be rounded up too. "I remember talking to people like Dr Chandra and (CAP legal adviser) Meenakshi Raman who were arrested the very next minute! "I don't think journalists should go through this again. "There must be no more Ops Lalang," he said.

Anwar: Khalid will defend his parliamentary seat Posted: 27 Oct 2012 03:51 PM PDT The Selangor Menteri Besar however says should he be elected again, the next term would be his last. Leven Woon, FMT Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim has been nominated by his party PKR to defend his parliamentary seat in Bandar Tun Razak, fuelling speculation that he would be shifted to hold a cabinet post should Pakatan Rakyat takes over federal leadership. PKR de factor leader Anwar Ibrahim said that the party would re-nominate Khalid to contest the seat during a visit to Pekan Sungai Besi this morning. Khalid was also present with Anwar. "During the last general election, we won all (localities) but the army camps. This time, God willing, we will even emerge triumphant in army camps," he told some 300-odd crowd during his Jelajah Merdeka speech. A former corporate figure, Khalid wrested the Bandar Tun Razak seat from a strong MCA incumbent Tan Chai Ho with a majority of 2,515 votes. He also won the Ijok state seat with 1,920 majority. In recent weeks, the political chatter had been that PKR would replace Khalid as the Selangor MB if Pakatan wins the state again in the next general election. It had been said that he would not be asked to contest for a state seat and instead to concentrate in his parliamentary seat. Anwar's confirmation today – and the silence on the status of his state seat – would only add frenzy to the speculation. One more term only Khalid meanwhile told reporters that he was thankful to the party, but vowed to only keep his parliamentarian post for another term. He said he would put in place a leadership succession plan should he be elected again in Bandar Tun Razak as he felt two-terms were enough for him. "It's not just me, but every parliamentarian should be giving a chance for other leaders to replace them," he said. When asked whether he would also re-nominated to defend his state seat, he answer was: "that hasn't been announced, they only announced me for Bandar Tun Razak". Asked again whether the plan was to shift him to become a cabinet minister, he said it was only "speculations". READ MORE HERE

Is ex-Sabah DCM Tham making comeback? Posted: 27 Oct 2012 03:45 PM PDT Former SAPP co-founder Tham Nyip Shin was coy about talk that he would be a candidate in the 13th general election. Queville Toh, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Former deputy chief minister Tham Nyip Shin is said to be considering to contest in the coming general election. Tham, 53, who dropped out of politics eight years ago after he was not picked to defend his Elopura state seat, is said to have been wooed by parties on both sides of the political divide. Met at a private dinner function here on Friday, the former Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) co-founder was coy about talk that he would be a candidate in the 13th general election, expected to be called anytime. "In politics, anything is possible," said Tham. "I am weighing my options for now and perhaps in a few weeks' time if you ask me the same question, I may have a more definite answer." He admitted that he had met with representatives from both the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition as well as the opposition in the state capital, as well as in Kuala Lumpur during a business trip there recently. "I was approached. I told them I would consider their invite but made no promises. After eight years in the political wilderness, there are many things to consider first before I make a decision to come back or stay away from politics for good. "But don't ask me where I am going to stand or on which party ticket. It could very well be in a seat which is away from my traditional stronghold in Sandakan and the party I join could catch you all by surprise. "So let's just wait for the time being. Let me consider the matter seriously and in due course I will give you all my decision." Now a businessman with extensive local and regional business establishments, Tham made his political debut in 1985 as a Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) candidate at the age of 26, defeating his more senior Berjaya opponent Yap Pak Leong by 171 votes in the watershed state elections that brought the former opposition party to power in Sabah. Together with his former PBS colleague Yong Teck Lee, he helped form SAPP in 1994 and retained the Elopura seat by beating a PBS candidate and in 1996 he was appointed deputy chief minister, a position he held for seven years. READ MORE HERE

Liu shows proof it was all BN’s work Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:04 AM PDT Selangor state exco Ronnie Liu presents documented evidence showing BN's hand in approving the Batu Caves condominium project Leven Woon, FMT BATU CAVES: The Selangor state government today provided evidence showing Barisan Nasional's hand in approving the proposed condominium project near the Batu Caves Temple. Ronnie Liu, the Selangor executive councillor (exco) for local government today showed planning approvals issued on Nov 30, 2007  that details the height, size and type of the development slated on the land. "The approval, signed by the then Selayang Municipal Council president, Zainal Abidin Azim, was done with the full knowledge of the then BN councillors," he said. "The planning approvals state clearly that the whole development consists of two blocks of 29-storey service apartment, and another 25-storey apartment, with shophouses fronting it. "Hence, no one, including the Batu Caves temple committee chairman, should put the blame on the Pakatan government," said Liu at the site of the proposed development. Liu's revelation comes a day after a protest by about 300 people against the project, calling Pakatan state government to scrap the project. Deputy Foreign Minister, A Kohilan Pillay, who was a MPS councillor at that time, said that BN was only responsible for the issuance of the preliminary planning approval. He blamed Pakatan for the subsequent building approval and marketing proposals, paving the way for the project to take shape. Debunking the claims today, Liu said the state government could not do anything after a planning approval is issued. "Planning approval means an overall greenlight.  Kohilan is trying to bullshit everyone by saying that we can give planning approval but not execution approval," he said. He explained that the building approval, which was issued in March 2008, was the work of the BN councillors. He said this was because the Pakatan Rakyat councillors were only sworn in, in July 2008, though they took over the state leadership in March after the general election. Not bothered by legal threat When asked about the marketing approval, Liu said it was under the purview of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government. "It has nothing to do with us. Nothing has been done by Pakatan to support the project," he said. READ MORE HERE

S'gor MB challenged to explain proposed sale of PKNS assets Posted: 26 Oct 2012 07:25 PM PDT (Bernama) - Yet another Barisan Nasional (BN) leader has challenged Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim to explain the proposed sale of five assets of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) valued at RM321 million by the PKR-led state government. Puteri Umno chief Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said today Abdul Khalid should explain the rationale for the proposed sale and its impact on bumiputera entrepreneurs operating businesses at those premises. The five assets are the Menara PKNS in Petaling Jaya, the Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) Mall in Shah Alam, the PKNS Complex in Shah Alam, the PKNS Complex in Bangi and Wisma Yakin in Jalan Masjid India here. "Can the Selangor government give an assurance that the potential owners of the five assets would ensure the welfare of the entrepreneurs?" she asked in a statement. Rosnah, who is deputy health minister, was commenting on the controversy over the proposed sale of the assets by the Selangor government which is feared would be a loss to the people of the state, particularly the bumiputeras. She said Abdul Khalid, as a former corporate figure, should be more mature and enhance development of the state without subjecting the people to injustice. "Tan Sri Abdul Khalid cannot assume that the Selangor state administration is a business which is concerned only with profit and development without considering the welfare of the people. "Is the sale of the five assets the best solution? Why was the decision (to sell) made now? Is PKNS facing a financial problem? These are questions demanding answers," she said. Rosnah said PKNS should be increasing its holdings and not reduce them through sale. Selangor Umno Liaison Committee deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar had also questioned the proposed sale of the PKNS assets.

Local councils a law unto themselves Posted: 26 Oct 2012 06:45 PM PDT Lack of accountability and transparency in the Batu Caves condo project is the result of 50 years of Umno-BN rule, says DAP's S Ramakrishnan Athi Shankar, FMT The condominium project approved by the BN-led Selangor government in 2007 near Batu Caves has highlighted the lack of accountability and transparency in local councils, said DAP Senator S Ramakrishnan. He said the two 29-storey project, slated to be built adjacent to the Hindu temple showed that the over 50 years of BN federal rule had made local councils a lord unto themselves. He took the Selayang Municipal Council to task for approving the Dolomite Park Avenue condominium project on Sept 26, 2007 despite the federal declaration's of the 272ha Batu Caves Reserve as a national heritage site that same year. He hit out at the council for approving the project without an environmental impact study and called for a review and reevaluation of the project altogether. The beauty of the area was in the caves, hill structures, and the many varieties of unique and inimitable flora and fauna. He said that in 1930, the Batu Caves Hill was reserved as a site for public recreation (Federated Malay States Government Gazette Notification (GN) No 4712-30, part-revoked by GN 652-54; and the Selangor State Government Gazette GN 312-59), while in 1980 the state government agreed to stop quarrying at Batu Caves to protect the hills and caves. "The federal declaration affirmed the status of Batu Caves as a unique site of national interest. Yet the MPS approved the project," said Ramakrishnan. He said current Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had called for local councils to be reformed. Local councils must be made accountable - However, Ramakrishnan said the dominant federal ruling party, Umno, had lost the moral authority and leadership to reform them. He called for a change of government to initiate reforms and accountability of local councils to rate payers. "Local councils must be made accountable for their decisions," he said. The Senator also commended the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) for monitoring and protecting the dark caves and lime stone structures within the Batu Caves. READ MORE HERE

DAP’s ‘gesture of goodwill’ to SAPP Posted: 26 Oct 2012 02:37 PM PDT Party opens door to Sabah Progressive Party to contest in three state seats within the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency  (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: In a shrewd move to show it is willing to compromise to break the political deadlock in Sabah, the DAP said it will not be contesting all the Chinese majority seats in Sabah in the coming general election. A senior DAP official speaking on condition of anonymity said the party had agreed to open the door to the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) to contest in three state seats, all within the Kota Kinabalu parliamentary constituency as a "gesture of cooperation and goodwill". "But that is about it," he said yesterday. He was commenting on DAP Sabah chief, Jimmy Wong's announcement last Sunday that the DAP would be contesting in three parliamentary seats and seven state seats in the general election. According to the official, DAP would make way for SAPP in Api Api as they had heard that SAPP president Yong Teck Lee would be its candidate there, although there have been indications from the party that he might contest in his previous constituency of Likas. Political observers say the clash between Yong and his archrival, BN's Dr Yee Moh Chai, who is the incumbent state assemblyman for Api-Api, would be more worthy and satisfying for the former chief minister. Yee is a Deputy Chief Minister representing the Chinese community under a peculiar system in the state's Umno-led BN coalition government that breaks up existing power structures so as to prevent smaller power groups from linking up against Umno. He is also the state's Resource Development and Information Technology Minister and a deputy president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), a party that observers say has lost the goodwill of the Chinese community. If Yong were to contest in Likas, he would be taking over from his close aide Liew Teck Chan and be open to being accused of practicing nepotism by his critics. As for Luyang and Likas which also come under Kota Kinabalu, the senior DAP official said it was only fair that SAPP be given the chance to defend the seats as they were the incumbents. The DAP will defend its Kota Kinabalu parliamentary seat through incumbent MP Hiew King Cheu, an engineer, as well as field candidates in Sandakan and Penampang. "We are still wary about SAPP as they refuse to officially join Pakatan Rakyat and as such it would be a big risk to us if they were to be allowed to contest more seats," said the senior official, explaining the rationale in giving way to SAPP in three constituencies only. 'SAPP's strength is in Kota Kinabalu' The opposition coalition which is made up of peninsular-controlled parities is also standing its ground on not giving way to the local party in Sandakan as the incumbents are now in Gerakan, also a peninsular-controlled party. "Look, SAPP cannot even hold on to what they have and if they are given more and they win, we would never know until it's too late if they would cross over again," said the official. "It is better to be safe. Furthermore, SAPP does not have calibre candidates for the Sandakan seats, so it's no point contesting there. Their strength is in Kota Kinabalu so it is best they focus all their resources here." SAPP has claimed it has bases throughout the state and is capable of fielding candidates in a majority of the 60 state and 25 parliamentary constituencies. DAP wants to field veterinarian Dr Edwin Bosi in the Kadazandusun-majority district of Penampang where PKR's Darrel Leiking is also among the contenders. DAP is also eyeing the neighbouring constituency of Kepayan. READ MORE HERE

MACC report against Palani’s aide Posted: 26 Oct 2012 02:35 PM PDT Several businessmen claim corrupt practices in the handing out of cooking oil packing contracts to Indian contractors. B Nantha Kumar, FTM Several businessmen have lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against a senior and most trusted aide of cabinet member and MIC president G Palanivel. The report is over alleged corrupt practices involved in the handing out of cooking oil packing contracts overseen by Palanivel in his capacity as the lead minister of Indian Affairs in the Prime Minister's Department. The report accused Dr S Vijendran, who until last week was the political secretary of Palanivel but has since been redesignated as private secretary to the minister, of manipulating the cooking oil packing contracts to favour one particular contractor. "We are frustrated with Dr Vijendran's involvement in the cooking oil packing contract which is supposed to be open for all deserving Indian entrepreneurs," said one of the complainants who wished to be unnamed for now. He said that the MACC should take immediate steps to look into the alleged corrupt practices as it was hampering the growth of genuine Indian entrepreneurs. The report was made yesterday despite it being a public holiday. "If there is no action taken soon, we will hold a rally against Palanivel for still relying on Vijendran on matters involving the Indian business community," he said. Cooking oil packing contract Giving a background to the cooking oil packing contract, the businessman said the federal government had recently agreed to award the contract to Indian entrepreneurs as a way to give them room to be successful in business. The distribution of the contract was handled by Suria Cooperative Society which is chaired by Palanivel, who had then left it in the hands of Vijendran to pick the deserving Indian businessmen to service the contract. Originally seven Indian companies had been identified for the contract but five of them were rejected for not holding a Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK) licence. And from the two qualified companies, Vijendran allegedly decided to pick only one as the other did not apparently meet the requirements set by Suria Cooperative Society. At the same time, Vijendran also had allegedly turned away other companies who had obtained the KPDNKK licence. He is also accused of asking these new companies to become sub-contractors to one particular company. "Why is he giving special privilege to the particular company when the contract is meant to help the Indian business community? Why is Palanivel keeping quiet over this matter?" asked the complainant. He wants the MACC to investigate this. He also claimed that Vijendran's action had only resulted in the sole contract winner of making hefty profits. "By having more Indian companies on board, more people would enjoy the benefits instead of one or two connected individuals," he said. READ MORE HERE

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